by Andrew Fink

Created on: June 13, 2008   Last Updated: June 23, 2008

Game Review: Eschalon: Book 1
Developer: Basilisk Games
Overall rating: 3/5

The Lowdown: Eschalon: Book 1 delivers a satisfactory role-playing experience, but it certainly isn't anything new in this category. The game pacing is slow, but if you are looking for an RPG focused on exploration rather than just monster hunting, Eschalon may be a good game to look into.

Game play (3/5): The game play is solid, but doesn't deliver much. Primarily, if falls into the trap many RPGs do, in making things too complicated for the sake of realism. While in real life we do have to open doors before entering buildings, little details like this tend to become aggravating in games such as Eschalon. In particular, the inability of characters to run slows the game down significantly. All this in mind, the world is well developed and characters have at least a little personality. Some of the dialogue is a bit odd, but overall it works well. The story develops well and is intriguing, even if it takes a while to get into.

Graphics (4/5): While by no means cutting edge, the terrain is lifelike and diverse from area to area, and small graphical details (like corpses in catacombs and overturned chairs in destroyed taverns) help bring the entire setting to life without the necessity of impressive lighting or rendering effects. That said, the static camera gets a little annoying at times, particularly when your character gets stuck behind a wall, or when you get snuck up on by a monster lurking in the corner.

Sound (3/5): The music and effects felt a bit like afterthoughts in Eschalon. While nothing really hinders game play, the music is a bit dull, and the sound effects have no variance. There is also a lack of ambient sound effects from area to area, like the bustle of a town, or the drips of water in caves and tombs. A little more effort here could have helped give Eschalon a bit more life.

Fun Factor (2/5): While Eschalon is a solid RPG, it is not a particularly thrilling one. It lacks creativity and any sort of innovation that could have differentiated it from the rest of the RPGs out there. The pacing is too slow to really immerse the player, and the presentation is just lacking in some respects. While the story is intriguing, it just is not as fun as other, similar games that give more payout for the same or less cost.

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